Fire derails Newfields family's church renovation effort

NEWFIELDS — Piles of charred belongings and other blackened debris now sit outside the dream home that Jack Steiner and his wife had made for their family inside what was once a Catholic church.

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By Jason Schreiber

seacoastonline.com

By Jason Schreiber

Posted Apr. 8, 2014 at 2:00 AM

By Jason Schreiber

Posted Apr. 8, 2014 at 2:00 AM

» Social News

NEWFIELDS — Piles of charred belongings and other blackened debris now sit outside the dream home that Jack Steiner and his wife had made for their family inside what was once a Catholic church.

Transforming the old Sacred Heart Church at 52 Main St. from a house of worship into a house for their family was a project that began in 2006 when Steiner and wife Kimberly Truesdale bought the church after it closed in 2005.

They've been living in the home as they renovated and were almost done when a fire broke out late last Thursday afternoon.

"We were getting close to getting this 100 percent complete when this happened. We're essentially erasing my eight years of work," Steiner lamented Friday as he assessed the damage and began making plans to rebuild.

The house which still resembles a white church from the outside will likely need to be gutted and the family will have to start over on the building's interior.

"There was heavy damage downstairs and smoke throughout the rest of it, but we're not going to tear it down. It didn't penetrate into the walls and into the rafters, otherwise it would have been a total loss," he said.

The cause of the fire hasn't been determined, Steiner said. The fire is believed to have started in the bathroom.

"There was nothing obvious they could point to as a defect, a problem or a failure. It's totally unknown. There wasn't any indication of a problem," Steiner said.

Steiner said his wife arrived home with the couple's twin daughters Thursday afternoon and saw the flicker of the flame through one of the original stained glass window.

"She realized something wasn't right and went in the door and saw the heavy smoke," said Steiner, who was in Michigan on his way home Thursday night when he learned about the fire.

His wife rescued the family's dog and was almost overcome by the smoke before she quickly evacuated.

There's little the family can salvage from the fire.

"That smell just doesn't go away," Steiner said.

Steiner and Truesdale moved to town a couple of years before buying the church, which was built in the early 1880s They never attended the church, but were determined to save it when it closed.

While the church was under agreement during the sale, Steiner and Truesdale decided to marry inside on Christmas in 2005.

Soon after taking ownership, the couple began their work.

Steiner has experience in construction and did some of the work himself, but also hired people to help with the project over the years. The work was done in pieces as the family had the money for the renovations.

Steiner didn't reveal how much money was invested, but said it was "substantial."

"It was a nice project and we have enjoyed being here," he said.

They started off with an open space that was 30 feet high with pews and a choir loft. They added a post and beam style floor with stairs to make a second floor inside the house with three bedrooms and bathrooms.

"We reused as much of the material as we could. On the railing around the top of the stairs we used a handrail from downstairs and we used a lot of paneling that was wainscoting that was existing. We tried to maintain that feeling of recycle and reuse of the material," Steiner said.

Steiner used some pews for a sitting area and he built a window seat with another, while others were given away.

"When we first started work here, folks that came to church here would thank us for saving it and I would give them a pew that they sat in if they could use one because everybody knows where they sat. They appreciate that we made this effort," Steiner said.

Until the home can be rebuilt, Steiner said the family plans to rent a home in town.

Once the family settles their claim with their insurer, Steiner said he expects it will take six months to a year to rebuild the interior.

But some parts can't be replaced, like the original stained glass window that was blown out.

Steiner said a clear window will likely be installed because making a replica would be too costly.

Many people who remember the house when it was a church showed up outside Thursday to watch as firefighters went to work.

Resident Nancy Taylor remembered attending a funeral inside the church several ago.

"As a church it was beautiful," she said.

Meanwhile, the family has been overwhelmed by the community support.

The Newfields Country Store is collecting money and gift cards while a fund has also been established at TD Bank. Donations can be made to the "Steiner Truesdale Fire Relief Fund" at any TD Bank.

"All the folks in town have been very generous and helpful. It's heartwarming to experience that," Steiner said.